How much did you pay for your last ferro rod? How big was it?

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WayTooSharp

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Aug 18, 2014
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How much did you pay for your last ferro rod? How big was it?

I got a 1/2" x 5" monster off ebay for $5 ish.
 
Last one I bought was a 3/8ths Light my Fire military...about $14.00 shipped online.
 
WayTooSharp said:
Wait. Are globs even a good thing?

Also, why does it jellyfish in water?
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From what I've read, the burning globs tend to start some tinder quicker esp if it's slightly damp since they burn longer. One site was going to buy bulk mischmetal rods to sell in their online store because they like the globs.

Here's a good explanation of the two types.
http://www.gundigest.com/survival/demystified-ferrocerium-mischmetal-fire-starter-rods

I have no idea what "jellyfish in water" means. 99% of the campfires I've started were with a Bic/Zippo at the lake or deer camp. I have firesteels as an emergency back up and to expand my knowledge base on woodcraft.

Sorry to not be of more help.
 
SAK Guy said:
From what I've read, the burning globs tend to start some tinder quicker esp if it's slightly damp since they burn longer. One site was going to buy bulk mischmetal rods to sell in their online store because they like the globs.

Here's a good explanation of the two types.
http://www.gundigest.com/survival/demystified-ferrocerium-mischmetal-fire-starter-rods

I have no idea what "jellyfish in water" means. 99% of the campfires I've started were with a Bic/Zippo at the lake or deer camp. I have firesteels as an emergency back up and to expand my knowledge base on woodcraft.

Sorry to not be of more help.
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it's one of the metals in the misch. das ist it.

anyway, ya this thing is fun.
 
WayTooSharp said:
How much did you pay for your last ferro rod? How big was it?

I got a 1/2" x 5" monster off ebay for $5 ish.
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Ya, I have one of those big fat suckers. Cost next to nothing from Amazon Via China. I used to buy a lot of those five buck Coghlans and use the hell out of them. I still have some laying around. I grabbed one of them yesterday and it worked perfectly. I really don't bother with rods much anymore unless I feel like it. I keep a Light my Fire, covered in silicone rubber and some clear plastic fuel line on my key chain. It is a quality back up that hasn't been touched for years...... I find that my fixed blades that have a very square spine (common on some Cold Steels), or those that I've had to square up myself, are my main concern, in regard to spark performance. Even the cheap rods rip out showers of sparks if the scraping tool has an acutely square edge....The saw back on Leatherman multi's also generally come with a great ripping square spin from the factory. When you get tired of playing with them just pack a couple of lighters, and a rod for back up. If it isn't coated to your liking for long term storage go to a dollar store and get some clear nail polish to slather all over it. Should stop it from corroding for many years.
 
upnorth said:
Ya, I have one of those big fat suckers. Cost next to nothing from Amazon Via China. I used to buy a lot of those five buck Coghlans and use the hell out of them. I still have some laying around. I grabbed one of them yesterday and it worked perfectly. I really don't bother with rods much anymore unless I feel like it. I keep a Light my Fire, covered in silicone rubber and some clear plastic fuel line on my key chain. It is a quality back up that hasn't been touched for years...... I find that my fixed blades that have a very square spine (common on some Cold Steels), or those that I've had to square up myself, are my main concern, in regard to spark performance. Even the cheap rods rip out showers of sparks if the scraping tool has an acutely square edge....The saw back on Leatherman multi's also generally come with a great ripping square spin from the factory. When you get tired of playing with them just pack a couple of lighters, and a rod for back up. If it isn't coated to your liking for long term storage go to a dollar store and get some clear nail polish to slather all over it. Should stop it from corroding for many years.
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Ya I tried it a bit in a contained garbage can. Doesn't seem that good to me.
 
I practiced with whatever readily available natural materials were in my region, north and south. Then I moved into trying to find natural lighting materials after a rain when everything was soaked. It really made me use my imagination. Now I take notice of old wasp hives/bird nests in the bushes etc. I found that after starting natural material fires in the hardest conditions, that it was infinitely easier to start one in good conditions. Even the failures were useful as they taught me to try something different. Rods are ok as a back up, or if I am skills practicing. But I'll still pack a couple of lighters. I'm not trusting my life with hypothermia on a cold,wet, pizzy night when a lighter can get a fire going instantly. If you are having a hard time getting dry grass to light, concentrate the wavy/curly 'arms' instead of the stalks. One option is to make a big 'nest' or ball and work in or under it. And rip the living hell out of the rod, it generates heat inside the ball. If it is cold or windy out here the machine gun scraping super fast on a rod, inside a grass ball can help a lot. On a warm sunny summer day with no wind, ya, maybe a few scrapes of a rod and the fire pops. I had to practice with variations until I found out what works consistently for me with local materials. The 'bunch' or 'Buffalo grass' out here may well be different than the stuff in southern Ontario, or wherever. I found rods to be frustrating at first, then there is a transition to consistency, and they become far less mysterious. Practice, practice, practice with different local materials. After a while you realize that materials with the same overall features will light readily. They may be totally different plants, but they share the same lighting features (dry, thin, maybe fuzzy etc.). The mind then focuses on the material properties as opposed to any particular material itself. This is hard to explain. Instead of looking at the big picture materials, think of what may have those dry, light, fuzzy properties in/under the main bark or inside a dead plant. Leaves suck by the way.
 
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upnorth said:
I practiced with whatever readily available natural materials were in my region, north and south. Then I moved into trying to find natural lighting materials after a rain when everything was soaked. It really made me use my imagination. Now I take notice of old wasp hives/bird nests in the bushes etc. I found that after starting natural material fires in the hardest conditions, that it was infinitely easier to start one in good conditions. Even the failures were useful as they taught me to try something different. Rods are ok as a back up, or if I am skills practicing. But I'll still pack a couple of lighters. I'm not trusting my life with hypothermia on a cold,wet, pizzy night when a lighter can get a fire going instantly. If you are having a hard time getting dry grass to light, concentrate the wavy/curly 'arms' instead of the stalks. One option is to make a big 'nest' or ball and work in or under it. And rip the living hell out of the rod, it generates heat inside the ball. If it is cold or windy out here the machine gun scraping super fast on a rod, inside a grass ball can help a lot. On a warm sunny summer day with no wind, ya, maybe a few scrapes of a rod and the fire pops. I had to practice with variations until I found out what works consistently for me with local materials. The 'bunch' or 'Buffalo grass' out here may well be different than the stuff in southern Ontario, or wherever. I found rods to be frustrating at first, then there is a transition to consistency, and they become far less mysterious. Practice, practice, practice with different local materials. After a while you realize that materials with the same overall features will light readily. They may be totally different plants, but they share the same lighting features (dry, thin, maybe fuzzy etc.). The mind then focuses on the material properties as opposed to any particular material itself. This is hard to explain. Instead of looking at the big picture materials, think of what may have those dry, light, fuzzy properties in/under the main bark or inside a dead plant. Leaves suck by the way.
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tldr but ya I agree on the lighter thing. I wouldn't trust anything less than a 4 jet Regal lighter for only $35 and a full can of fuel.
 
Northern Indians that do this stuff for a living, and as just more work, cut through the sheet. They will just splash some snowmobile gas onto a bunch of gathered wood and light it up. I guess that there is little romance for those that need a nightly fire to cook and eat with. I however have the dubious luxury to be a casual poser, that can pick the fly sheet out of pepper, in matters like this. I still believe that these rods are a valuable tool, and learning how to be proficient with them, a valuable skill. I am outside too often not to take basic fire making seriously.
 
upnorth said:
Northern Indians that do this stuff for a living, and as just more work, cut through the sheet. They will just splash some snowmobile gas onto a bunch of gathered wood and light it up. I guess that there is little romance for those that need a nightly fire to cook and eat with. I however have the dubious luxury to be a casual poser, that can pick the fly sheet out of pepper, in matters like this. I still believe that these rods are a valuable tool, and learning how to be proficient with them, a valuable skill. I am outside too often not to take basic fire making seriously.
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True.

Why would anyone use gasoline to start a fire? The toxic fumes alone would be a deterrent I think.
 
WayTooSharp said:
True.

Why would anyone use gasoline to start a fire? The toxic fumes alone would be a deterrent I think.
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Gasoline as a fire starter is stupid. You risk lighting yourself on fire or blowing up your fire pit.

Diesel, on the other hand, is a very handy "I can't get this stupid wood to light" aid. Not explosive and won't send out fumes that can catch nearby stuff on fire. A teaspoon of it is enough to light a pile of tinder very easily.
 
WayTooSharp said:
True.

Why would anyone use gasoline to start a fire? The toxic fumes alone would be a deterrent I think.
Click to expand...

Ask the Dene on the north shore of Lake Athabasca in January, when they leave the diesel trucks running all night because the are too hard to start in the morning at -40.
 
Light My Fire Scout $12 @ REI.
Coghlans Flint Striker $5 @ WalMart
Coghlans Magnesium Fire Starter $6 @ WalMart
Sure Strike $14 @ Jax

The Magnesium Fire Starter has a rod along the
side edge. I always felt this was more of a novelty but I have had some success with wet conditions.
 
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